The head of the Prime Minister's department is refusing to release his secret report into the way a $100 million pre-election sports grants program was administered but concedes the program had significant shortcomings.
Mr Gaetjens identified a"lack of transparency" for applicants and the divergence between projects recommended by the assessment body Sports Australia and Senator McKenzie."I did not find evidence that the separate funding approval process conducted in the Minister's office was unduly influenced by reference to 'marginal' or 'targeted' electorates," the report states.
Mr Gaetjens also said he had looked into the spreadsheet that was leaked to the ABC, and whether it had an impact on decision making. He said Senator McKenzie advised him"she had never seen the advisor's spreadsheet" and that neither she nor her staff"based their assessments on it". , after Mr Gaetjens handed his confidential report to the Prime Minister, for failing to disclose her membership of a gun club that received funding.
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